Apparatus for coating a moving web with adhesive



s. DEARSLEY 3,162,545

APPARATUS FOR COATING A MOVING WEB WITH ADHESIVE Dec. 22, 1964 Filed Dec. 5, i960 ag-i= 55: wi

INVENTOR GEORGE DEARSLEY B wfaeafl ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,162,545 Patented Dec. 22, 1964 3,162,545 APPARATUS BOB COATKNQ A MGVTNG WEB WITH ADHESHE George Dearsley, London, England, assignor to American Machine 8: Foundry Company, a corporation oi New Jersey Filed Dec. 5, B69, Ser. No. 73,867 Claims. (Cl. 118-203) This invention relates to a method and apparatus for applying adhesive to an endless web of paper such as is used in cigarette making machines and other automatic machinery.

In conventional machinery it is usual to supply a receptacle for liquid adhesive in which a roller rotates to pick up a supply of the adhesive. The endless web of material may run directly against this roller or intermediate rollers may be used as a transfer means to pick up a film of adhesive from the roller running in the adhesive, which transfer it to the moving web. This apparatus is well suited to apply adhesive to the underside of the web but is not adaptable for applying adhesive to the upper side of the web because the adhesive is contained in the receptacle by gravity only and the device therefore cannot be inverted.

This sometimes causes difiiculty in the design of machinery for it may happen that the general configuration of the various components is such that adhesive is required on the top surface of the traveling web.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide mechanism which will coat the upper side of a moving web with adhesive.

Another object of this invention is to provide mechanism which will supply a uniform coating of adhesive to a moving web.

A further object of this invention is to provide adhesive applying apparatus which is simple and easy to clean.

Another objects is to provide adhesive applying apparatus which will keep the adhesive in constant circulation and thereby avoid separation due to settling. Other objects and features of the invention will appear as the description of the particular embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses. In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, like characters of reference have been applied to corresponding parts throughout several views which make up the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a side elevation of the apparatus.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

In the drawings I have illustrated one form of apparatus which employs my invention.

The web 2 to which the adhesive is to be applied moves in the direction of the arrow 4, passing over roller 6 on its way to the cigarette making machine. The web 2 is arranged as shown to travel in contact with the roller 8 from which it picks up a supply of adhesive in passing. This roller 8 is driven from the machine by means of shaft 10, so that its peripheral velocity is substantially equal to the velocity of the web 2.

Adjacent to the roller 8 is mounted a second roller 11 which is freely rotatable on the shaft 12 which is supported by means of a pair of arms 14, which pivot about the center 16. A spring or springs 18 are connected to the arms 14 in the manner shown so that the roller 11 is held in close contact to the roller 3, and is driven thereby so that the two rollers rotate in unison.

The extremities of the roller 11 are provided with two flanges 2t) and 22, which are a close fit on the end of roller 3. It is also provided with two raised lands or raised rings 24 and 26, which contact the roller 8 which is under the spring tension influence of spring 18, to provide the space or gap 28 between the rollers 8 and 11 for the purpose described hereinbelow.

At one end of roller 8 a groove 30 is provided beyond the rearmost land of roller.

Adhesive may be supplied to the apparatus by means of any suitable mechanism not shown in the accompanying drawings. This may consist of an adhesive receptacle fitted with a suitable stirring device from which adhesive may be removed by means of a pump, and into which surplus adhesive may be returned, as for example as shown in my copending application S.N. 750,063, fil d July 11, 1958, now Patent 2,991,753, issued July 11, 1961. The adhesive received from this pump travels through pipe 32 where its flow is regulated by a valve 34, and is supplied to the apparatus forming part of this invention by means of the nozzle 36.

The valve 34 is adjusted to ensure that the adhesive supplied is somewhat in excess of the quantity of adhesive applied to the web 2. When this adhesive is supplied to the apparatus, the motion of the rollers 8 and 11, running together, causes it to spread laterally and form a roll of adhesive 38. This roll 38 is prevented from spilling over the ends of the rollers 8 and 11 by reason of flanges 20 and 22.

The rotation of the rollers in the direction of the arrows 40 and 42 will cause a film of adhesive to pass through the space 28 for application to the Web 2. The thickness of the film so passing is controlled by the dimensions of the gap 28. Continuing supply of adhesive from nozzle 26 builds up the roll of adhesive 38 to such dimensions that, being unable to flow in one direction by reason of the flange 22 it is caused to flow axially away from flange 22 where it spills over into the groove 50 and is carried away by movement of rollers 8 and 11.

A feature of this device is that it is quite insensitive to inaccuracies of the machine parts themselves. For instance, should either of the rollers 8 or 11 be eccentric or should the shaft 10 be somewhat bent, it will be seen that the spring 18 will keep the roller 11 in close contact with the roller 8 under all conditions so preserving the Width of the space or gap 28 to ensure a constant thickness of a film of adhesive delivered.

When the adhesive is permitted to spill in the space provided by the groove 30 of the roller 8 and the corresponding surface of the roller 11, provision must be made to collect this adhesive and return it to the main reservoir. This may be accomplished as follows:

A scraper 44 which is of V formation is pivoted at 46 and urged against the roller 8 by means of spring 48. This scraper is made to fit closely into the groove 34 so that the adhesive passing in that groove is transferred down to scraper and conducted via pipe 50 by gravity back to the main reservoir. A second scraper 52 is arranged to scrape the portion of the roller 11 which is opposite to the V-groove 3i and to remove the adhesive therefrom being urged against said roller 11 by means of spring 54, the scraper being pivoted about pivot 56. The adhesive removed by this scraper 52 falls by gravity into chute 50 and is conducted back into the main reservoir.

It will be understood from this description that the adhesive film applied to the moving web is supplied from the roll of adhesive 38 which is constantly replenished and replaced. The main supply of adhesive in the reservoir is constantly being stirred and recirculated through the whole system via this roll 38. This ensures that the adhesive being applied to the web 2 is of consistent texture for a considerable period of time because the adhesive being employed is never allowed to dry by exposure to the atmosphere, and what drying does occur, is prevented 7 web.

from affecting the fin-al result by reason of the constant charge of adhesive in the roll 33 from which the film is taken.

The inventionihereinabove described may ther'eforebe' varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown and described.

What is claimed is: V

1.. An adhesive applying apparatus comprising a pair of rollers having their longitudinal axes arranged in parallel, said rollers disposed so that a bight is formed between their .upper surfaces, a first one of said rollers being rotatably driven and the other being driven upon engagement with the first, means for delivering a supply of adhesive tothe said bight, a single annular V-shaped groove formed in one of said rollers, near an end of said one roller, to

said second roller against said first roller to form a bight I 2 therebetween, flanges on said second roller at each end thereof overlapping the ends of said first roller in order to be driven thereby, a single annular V-shaped groove in said first roller, near an end ofsaid first roller, feeding v 4 ed belowsaid groove for collecting surplus adhesive in the bight of said rollers carried through said groove by gravity and by the movement of said rollers to be returned by gravity to said feeding means.

5. A mechanism for'depositing a continuous uniform film of adhesive onthe upper surfaceof a continuous web moving below said mechanism, said mechanism comprising a first and a secondroller disposed to form a bight between their cylindrical surfaces, when in engagement, a first flange on a first end of said second roller and a second flange on a second end of said second roller, said first fiange overlapping and closely confining a portion of a first end of said first roller and said second flange overlapping and closely confining a portion of a second end of said first roller, when said rollers are in engagement, to form withsaid bight a trough betweensaid rollers, a circular V-shaped notch depressed in the surface of said first roller near its second end, a first and a second relatively narrow circular land spaced one from the other on the surface ofsaid second roller, said first land being near said first end of said second roller and said second land being intermediate said first land and a position on said second'roller opposite said V notch,arm means suspended from pivot means supporting said second roller,

means for supplying adhesive into the bight of said rollers,

said feeding means, and means for establishing contact 1 between the lower portion of said first roller and the upper surface 1 of a continuous web to apply said film to said 3. In apparatus for applying adhesive to the upper side of an endlessiweb of cigarette paper, the combination of a'first'roller disposedto apply adhesive from its under surface to the upper surface of said web, said first roller drivenat a peripheral speed'substantially equal to that'of said web, a second roller resiliently urged against said first roller, and forming a'bight therewith, flanges on said second rollerat each end thereof overlapping the ends of said first roller in order to be driven thereby, a single annular v-shaped groove'in'said first roller, "near an end i of said first roller,rfeeding means for supplying adhesive into the bightof said rollers, scraping means, shaped to conform to said groove, resiliently urged against'said rollersbelow said groove for collecting surplus adhesive in V the bight of said rollers carried away through said groove by gravity andby the movement of said'rollers to be returned by gravity-to said feeding means; r Y

7 4. In apparatus for applying adhesive to the upper side of an endless web of cigarette paper, the combination of a first rotatably driven roller-for applying said adhesive tofsaid web and of a second rotatable roller resiliently scraping means, shaped to conform to said groove, mountsaid rollers.

resilient means urging said arm means and said second roller to a limiting position in which said lands engage the cylindrical surface of said first roller, said second roller rotatable upon engagement between said lands and said surface of said'first roller when said first roller is rotatably driven, feed means for feeding an excess of adhesive to said trough, so that a predetermined amount, controlled by said lands, passes down between said rollers and is transferred from said first roller onto said web to form a uniform coating thereon, a first scraper and conduit element having a first scraper on its upper end shaped to conform to said notch, said first scraper communicating with a first conduit in said first element, the lower'port'ion of said first conduit being rotatably secured to a first pivot, resilient means urging said element about said first pivot so that said first scraper engages in said notch, and a second scraper and conduit element. having a second scraper on its upper end to engage with a portion of the surface of said second roller opposite said notch, said second scraper communicating with a second conduit in said second element, the lower portion of said second conduit rotatably secured to a second pivot, resilient means urging said second elementrso that, said second scraper engages said second roller, said first and said second scraper and conduit elements coactingto conductsaid.

excess adhesive from said notch toward :a reservoir below References Cited in the file of this patent UNlTED'STATES PATENTS V 1,170,520 Erickson et a1. fl g Feb. 8, 1916 I 1,720,733 Joplin my: 16, 1929 1,799,769 1 Thompson Apr. 7, 1931 ,-l,928,l60, Watkins et al Sept; 26, 1933 2,176,418 Daley"; Oct. 17, 1939 2,337,721 Kokay g Dec. 28, 1943 2,340,327 Jagger et al Feb. 1, 1944 2,981,226 Murray -l Apr. 25, 1961 2,991,753 Dearsley July 11, 1961 3,006,317 Showalter' Oct. 31, 1961 3,008,449 Hauser Nov. 14, 1961 3,035,541 Levine May 22, 1962 v FOREIGN PATENTS 15,439 GreatBritain .j 1904 795,470 Great Britain May 21, 1958 1957 

4. IN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING ADHESIVE TO THE UPPER SIDE OF AN ENDLESS WEB OF CIGARETTE PAPER, THE COMBINATION OF A FIRST ROTATABLY DRIVEN ROLLER FOR APPLYING SAID ADHESIVE TO SAID WEB AND OF A SECOND ROTATABLE ROLLER RESILIENTLY URGED THEREAGAINST TO FORM A BIGHT THEREBETWEEN, FLANGES ON SAID SECOND ROLLER AT EACH END THEROF OVERLAPPING THE ENDS OF SAID FIRST ROLLER TO BE DRIVEN THEREBY, RAISED LANDS ON SAID SECOND ROLLER IN CONTACT WITH SAID FIRST ROLLER TO PROVIDE A SPACE THEREBETWEEN, A SINGLE ANNULAR V-SHAPED GROOVE IN SAID FIRST ROLLER, NEAR AN END OF SAID FIRST ROLLER 